Who Is the Monster in "Metamorphosis"?

Summary: Essay attempts to find the character that is the monster in Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis."

In the novella Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, the main character Gregor Samsa transforms into a bug of an unknown description. Throughout the tale, he tries to deal with both the physical changes that this `metamorphosis' has brought him, and the more significant social, emotional and economic changes. As a result of the change, his relationship with his parents and his sister is dramatically altered, as are their relationships with each other. Not all of the changes are for the better, and some of them even become quite dangerous. The question `who is the monster in Metamorphosis"' is actually quite an obscure one, that could be answered on so many different levels. Is Gregor the monster, just because he looks like a beetle? Or is someone like his father the true monster for being prone to violent outbursts towards the defenceless beetle? Or is his sister a monster...